


Turn Around, Bright Eyes

by EncyclopediaOfWeirdness



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Athlete!Sam, Brothers, Bullying, Drama, Exploring feelings, Feelings, Gen, Goth!Castiel, M/M, Renezinha art, Sam/Castiel - Freeform, Samstiel - Freeform, Sastiel - Freeform, Teen Angst, Troubled Home Life, Underaged Sam/Castiel, Young Love, dead beat dad
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-20
Updated: 2016-05-13
Packaged: 2018-06-03 11:09:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,953
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6608440
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EncyclopediaOfWeirdness/pseuds/EncyclopediaOfWeirdness
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU!Supernatural where Sam is the team captain of his basketball team. Things aren't perfect at first. It's not until Sam meets an unlikely friend when things start to turn around for the both of them.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. About a Boy

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Renezinha](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Renezinha/gifts).



> Renezinha made me do it.

Just one game away from the all state basketball championship and the Lawrence Free State Firebirds will have set the record for the most wins of the season since well…ever. Thanks to the school’s new team captain, Sam Winchester.

\\\\\ A Few Months Earlier \\\\\

The seventeen year old had just moved back to his home state of Kansas. Used to being the new kid, Sam typically kept to himself; only on occasion would he slide out of his comfortable shell and introduce himself to his peers who might have a connection with him. He was an intelligent and talented kid with a bright future, all the teachers would say. Law school was what Sam dreamed about. He would like to help those who can’t help themselves. With his current GPA standing, he’d have no problem getting accepted into any Ivy League University.

Basketball was just a stress reliever. It wasn’t something he had considered before but his English teacher nudged him in that direction, claiming that the boy’s unique height would give him an advantage. At first, the boy was weary, afraid the players on the team wouldn’t like him for some absurd reason. But, he gave it a second thought. He did enjoy playing with his older brother in their driveway after school, why not join a team? Improve that jump shot!

So, he tried out for the school’s basketball team (upon his insistent teacher’s request) a few weeks later. Surprisingly enough, he made the first cut. The lead coach was thoroughly impressed. As for his team mates, they felt indifferent towards the new kid, even a little jealous. Sam had everything. Or so it seemed and the other boys felt inferior. High school.

Sam couldn’t wait to get home and tell his dad and big brother that he made the team.

-Later That Week-

First day of practice came and went- a hell of a lot better than the boy expected. Not a bad first day, at least it seemed that way during practice. Sam’s teammates felt neglected as his hidden talent for hoops seemed to overpower their mediocrity. Jealously hath reared her ugly head. Little did Sam realize that once it was time to hit the showers, things were going to drastically change.

They laid low, of course. Acting as if everything was fine, even complimenting jolly green on a great practice. If only Sam could have seen behind those ferocious, malcontent eyes of his teammates. He figured the nickname was a term of comradery.

Oblivious to the signs, Sam grabbed his dry towel, wrapped it around his waist and headed back toward his locker. Only to find the metal locker completely trashed and his clean clothes missing.

“What the…?” There he stood, in a puddle of water that dripped from his shaggy hair and wet skin. “Great,” he sighed as he examined his soaking, dirty sweats that he just changed from. The boys had strewn their used towels on his locker door, complete with the stained sweat smell from their shoes from within the locker itself. Frantically, he searched for his clean clothing. The new kid was out of luck. Looks like he’d be picked up in nothing but a towel. Great.

Ten minutes later and Dean finally strolled by the high school’s gym doors where a semi-dry Sam stood. Embarrassed, Sam rushed to open the passenger side door and climb inside.  
“What’s a matter Sammy? A little first day jitters?” His older brother teased, finding it a tad hilarious. Sam shot an intense glare toward him, obviously not a happy camper. “Relax, Sam. Where are your clothes anyway?”

Sam shrugged. “Can we just get out of here please?”

Dean was about to take his boot off the break when he looked up and noticed the flag pole. “Sam... Think I found ‘em.” Sam noticed Dean tighten his grip around the steering wheel. “Just wait ‘til I get my hands on them. I’ll rip their lungs out!”

“Dean,” Sam sighed, wishing his brother would just take them home already. “It’s fine.”

“What? Are you kiddin’ me? No one messes with my little brother ‘cept me.” A defiant expression plastered across his face.

“No. I need to handle this on my own.” The kid could be stubborn, just like his older brother. Dean didn’t want to let this go but he eased off, for Sammy’s sake.

When the next practice rolled around, Sam was prepared to handle whatever the boys’ varsity basketball team threw his way. The best solution to handling a bully is to stand up to them.

Before the coach arrived, the boys all gathered in the locker room. Avoiding the incident from yesterday was impossible. Someone was bound to bring it up, even if it had to be Sam.

“See you found your clothes.” The shortest of the boys laughed as he looked down to Sam who sat on the bench tying his shoe.

Sam froze, taking a moment to think about his response before looking up at his teammate. “Yeah. Yeah, I did.” His voice was calm and his face showed little to no expression.

The jerk’s grin grew wider. “Welcome to the team, Paul Bunyan.” He dared to slap Sam’s shoulder as he walked away. Sam immediately stood up, clenching his jaw in frustration.

“It’s Sam.” He fired back; his face was stern and serious.

That got the bully’s attention. He turned around slowly, surprised the new kid had the balls. “What’s that?”

“My name.” Sam shifted his balance to the other leg, hoping he didn’t have to get into a fist fight. “Is Sam.”

The harasser didn’t know how to respond. No one had ever faced him before like this. Above all, he knew he needed to keep his intimidating act up for he didn’t want his teammates to turn against him or worse, see him as the weak link. “Watch yourself, Sam.” He added with an intense pouting glare before walking away; shoving Sam to the side as he went. A few boys who had been standing as a posse behind their supposed ‘leader’ followed in suit.

To go to the coach would just make matters worse. They’re not even worth it, he thought to himself. Instead, he would continue to play his best in hopes they will come around. He was a part of a team after all.


	2. The Boy with the Blue Streak

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Meet Castiel, the youngest of six brothers and a lonely heart.

Growing up in a huge family didn’t seem like a big deal. But to a sixteen year old Castiel, it wasn’t the greatest experience. The youngest of six brothers took a toll on the boy. Not to mention his numerous half brothers and sisters didn’t help him feel any more unique than the rest.

Castiel’s father was a preacher, a man of the Lord. After the boy’s mother died in child labor, Castiel never forgave himself and neither did the rest of his family. The doctors continued to reassure the family that her death was of natural causes but Chuck, Castiel’s father just couldn’t accept that.

Chuck ended up in a bad place. Drinking heavily in all hours of the day, even neglecting his daily duties to his church and family. The eldest boys, Michael and Lucifer took on the parental roles when their father ended up abandoning them. As members of the church, the boys were somewhat sought after. Those who could- donated to help keep them afloat; providing what little money they could for necessities like groceries and clothes.

Michael took on the fatherly role, working as an accountant for a law firm in the city. Needless to say, he did not enjoy his day job but it paid the bills. As for Lucifer, he took care of the domestic needs of the household. Making sure everyone had food on their plate and shoes to wear on their feet. He too earned income as a party planner. Lucifer Morningstar was known to throw the best parties for any type of occasion.

Raphael and Gabriel pitched in where they could. And Balthazar? Well, as much as he wanted to rebel from his family, he stuck around since he wasn’t exactly eighteen years old yet. Michael made sure that he would see Balthazar graduate from high school. By technicality, Michael may not be his father but as the eldest, he made his rules known. With strict expectations in place, the Shurley household ran smoothly. Sort of.

Castiel loved his family but they were rather intense. With two overpowering older brothers, Castiel or little Cassie as his family often calls him- could never get a word in. His opinions and ideas were continually rejected, rendering him an outcast in his own home.

At school, Castiel was a loner. He didn’t much care for anyone else, especially since he would get picked on by the majority of his peers. Changing his image was for the better, he believed. At least appearing like a dark individual pushed the jokes behind his back instead of directly at him. He would rather be alone than be bullied each day. Typically, most of the student body was afraid to even say a word to him. If they just got to know the boy, they would see that he was an altruistic soul that needed some tender love and care.

The day started just like any other day. Castiel woke to Balthazar’s booming stereo through the thin walls. Lucifer was downstairs cooking breakfast while Raphael and Gabriel fought over whose turn it was for the bathroom. Michael finished getting dressed then angrily fixed his brothers’ relentless argument. The morning started and Michael was already having none of it.

With little patience left, the eldest stomped down the stairs and grabbed a banana for breakfast. He was already running late. Lucifer sighed in offense as he was in the middle of cooking a nice hot breakfast for his family. “Alright then, what’s minus one?!” Trying not to lose his mind, Lucifer put one plate back in the cabinet. His eyes then diverged to his littlest brother sulking down the steps. “That’s what you’re wearing?” Lucifer flinched, curling his lip in disgust as he glanced at his baby brother’s outfit.

He had barely made it to the last step and he was already receiving criticism from one of his brothers. Castiel was silent.

The blond dramatically rolled his eyes; not afraid to show his disdain for the entire black ensemble. “At least your hair has color.” He muttered under his breath, referring to the dark blue streak in Castiel’s hair.

Castiel adjusted his backpack’s strap over his shoulder and dared to step forward. “I’m leaving now.” His tone expressed it all as he didn’t even wait for a response.

Lucifer was unimpressed, finding his little brother a peculiar thing. “Fine! Starve to death!” He sassed to himself. “Why do I even bother?”

Once the boy got to school, he could already feel all eyes on him. The whispers continued to follow as he walked down the hallway. The gossip didn’t really bother him; he was sort of used to it by now. He’d feel better once he got to his first class of the day. Contrary to popular belief, Castiel enjoyed school, at least his first class- which happened to be creative writing. That was his escape- where he could write anything his heart desired and not be judged for it. Naomi, his teacher was more than accommodating to the young Castiel. She often encouraged him to write his emotions through stories or poems in order to release any frustration or sadness. Castiel looked up to her as a mentor; she was pretty much the only one he could confide in.

The other day, he had written something of grave concern. Naomi had asked to speak with the young boy after class, privately.

“Castiel.” She spoke candidly. “I wanted to ask you something about the poem you wrote the other day.” The blue eyed boy sunk inward, fearing she would reprimand him somehow. “It was emotionally beautiful. I even teared up just reading through it.”

The compliment cheered him up, just knowing that his teacher read it and didn’t judge him. However, she hadn’t gotten to her question yet, this concerned him. What exactly was she going to ask? “I just wanted to ask you, Castiel, how are you?”

What? He was confused. It didn’t even occur to him that what he wrote could be construed as troublesome. “How am I?” Castiel asked timidly.

  
“Yes,” she replied harmoniously.

“Okay, I guess?” He wasn’t quite sure how to respond to the question. No one really ever took in interest in his feelings before.

  
Naomi smiled for a brief second. “Castiel, you can tell me anything. I will listen.”

Nothing like being put on the spot. The boy took a moment in thought. He, himself wasn’t quite sure how he felt. A range of emotions came to mind. Naomi was concerned but of course she didn’t push him to respond. She respected his privacy and thoughts. “I-I’m kind of working through some things.” There. Hopefully she would be satisfied with that. Castiel wasn’t exactly ready to spill his entire life story, especially not to an adult, even if she were his mentor.

Naomi clasped her hands together. “Alright then, just let me know if there is anything I can do to help. You know where to find me.”


	3. Attraction

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Self-explanatory.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know nothing about basketball lingo or how the game goes so ignore all that, k? K.

First game of the season. Lawrence Free State wasn’t exactly known for their athletic department. Hardly a worthwhile sporting event for the school. The crowd consisted of parents, a few friends, and some faculty. Not much of a turn out but then again, this was the beginning of the season. Dean was there, supporting his little brother from the sidelines, however, John Winchester was not. Sam and Dean’s father was your typical workaholic. Always providing for his family in all means necessary except for what they truly needed- emotional support. At least Dean was there and in more ways than just another fan in the crowd but as an over-protective older brother. If any of the kids on the team messed with Sammy, Dean would be there to sucker punch them into next Sunday.

The Turner Pitbulls were an uneven match against the Free State Firebirds. Their comradery was impenetrable as they literally swept the floor with the fiery birds, using their larger size as an advantage. Sam’s teammates refused to accept their undeniable loss and continued to put blame on the new kid instead of themselves. The Pitbulls were bigger and stronger; Sam would have fit right in. Continually, the Firebirds tried to cheat, ignoring the signals from their coach and signals from Sam. The ring leader (and the jerk from before in the locker room) continued to call the shots on the court. He was the team captain after all, that was his job.

Hunching over to allow oxygen to flow through his chest, Sam rested his palms on top his knees, his legs wide spread apart. No one would pass the ball to him, he felt useless out there. Meanwhile, the coach paced along the sidelines in frustration. _This is just the first game. No biggie._ He reassured himself. These boys needed to be whipped in shape- mentally.

Sam’s attention was called to the scoreboard; to get a better view he straightened his posture as he combed his hair with his fingertips, sighing miserably as he noted the score. 4-17 and the second quarter was half way over. Nervous, Dean looked on bouncing his kneel along with the rhythm of his racing heartbeat. He’d give anything to dive on in and help his little brother, but all he could do was root for him in the bleachers. What little he had of fingernails were digging into his palm each time the other team scored. The outcome was obvious to all but somehow Sam believed he could turn it around. Something inside him reeked with positivity, if only he could get the others to jump on board.

Thank goodness for half time. The buzzer sounded off and each team huddled to their respective sides. “Bring it in, fellas!” The head coach shouted with a strong disdain aiding his call. “Don’t think I’m not watchin’ you boys out there. And you,” his eyes circulated toward the team captain. “Where’s yer head at? What the hell do you think yer doin’? You’ve got other people on the team, son. Use ‘em!” That thick western accent seeping through as he aggressively snarled at each of them. That’s how the boys knew their coach meant business- when the southern drawl started to stretch out. “Keep it up and I’m gonna appoint a new team captain!” Hopefully that was enough to motivate the boys. The coach was serious; he was strongly considering revamping the entire team after this game.

As the team received their spiteful speech, Sam couldn’t help but look up into the stands. His hazel eyes were quick to locate his older brother, who happened to be flirting with the pretty curly haired blonde nearest him. Dean definitely had his moments. Sam rolled his eyes in sync with a shake of his head. Typical. As his eyes wandered through the small crowd, a glimpse of blue hair sparked his weathering eye. Somehow he was drawn to the boy with the colorful streak who sat curled into the corner of the stands. As soon as his bright blue eyes locked with his, he felt captivated. A rush came over Sam like none before. Almost like adrenaline pumping through his veins but different. Sam wasn’t sure how to describe it. Goosebumps shivered down his spine and he forced himself to look away as soon as he caught himself staring. Now he was embarrassed. He wondered if the blue-eyed boy had noticed the sudden withdraw. As if to seem nonchalant, Sam causally looked toward him out of the corner of his eye to see that the boy was in the same position as before. Castiel was certainly intrigued once the tall one locked eyes with him. He too felt a mysterious shiver down his back and along his arms and legs. There’s something about him. They both noted to themselves.

Sam snapped out of his day dream as his coach wrapped up their plan of action. “Uh, coach, if I may?” The new kid shyly interjected, rising his lanky arm in mid-air. His hair began to fall over his eyes, shaking his head to shift it out of view.

“Yeah?” The coach growled, nodding his head toward Sam in acknowledgement. “Make it quick.”

Licking his lips, Sam moved in a little closer as if to keep his voice huddled toward his team. “They won’t be suspecting me to hook around left and--” Everyone was already bored, rolling their eyes and holding their attention to anything else but him. In the stands, Castiel was surely watching.

The coach seemed impressed. This kid had a point; no one would suspect him to take the lead- he was barely in the game as it were. It was perfect. “You know what, kid? That’s an excellent idea.” He firmly clapped his hands together and in his scruffy way, harshly motivated the boys to follow Sam’s cue. The team captain sent resentful glares towards Sam immediately and headed back onto the court. Ignoring him, Sam flashed the coach a brief smirk and joined his team on the court, where the Pitbulls were already waiting- drooling with anticipation. From there, the Firebirds’ captain hesitated to give the new kid the ball. That was until he looked over at the coach, who was shooting a grimace snarl at the boy. Giving in, the captain swallowed his pride and shoved the nitrogen-filled ball toward Sam. Relieved, Sam caught the ball, faked right and started to his left, running half speed toward the net. As suspected, the other team didn’t even fathom that play, giving Sam the opportunity to leap his way for a slam dunk. After that amazing play, the team started to let up. However, Mr. Jealously wasn’t so easy to convince.

Fourth quarter and the game was close to a tie breaker. Win or lose, Lawrence Free State High School had already improved within this game. Coach was more than pleased to see his team cooperating, it was a step up from the lousy performance earlier. His team wasn’t a complete failure as long as they continued to play like this from here on out.

Looking up at the score board, 18-21 with less than two minutes left on the clock. Would the Firebirds be able to push ahead? The team was thrilled they got this far, a win would be asking for a miracle. Occasionally Dean would look up from the pursed lips of the blonde he was tongue wrestling with. He shifted his view to the scoreboard then cheered to himself, _that a boy, Sammy_ and proceeded to attach himself to the girl around his arm.

Castiel was thoroughly enjoying the game now that something, rather someone was worth the watch. Not so much before, for he didn’t care too much for sports. He simply didn’t want to go home. Attending a basketball game seemed like a safe place to hide from his family in the meantime. And that tallest player in the hunter green and white jersey added to the attraction. There was a certain charisma to him. With that shaggy, wavy brown hair of his, the outcast found him-self overwhelmed with a helpless longing feeling toward the boy. A feeling he had never felt before; Castiel had never sensed such an attraction.

What was it about him exactly? He did seem familiar, had he meet the boy before and forgotten? Not possible. Castiel would have remembered those special physical characteristics of Sam’s. Most notably- the height difference. He had never met anyone that tall before. And his masculine calves were something sculpted from the divine. Jealously never even crossed Cas’s mind. As his eyes wandered up Sam’s lengthy body, Cas found himself imagining all of the things he wished he could do to him. He actually longed to run his fingers through that ragged, sweaty hair of his even to sniff it. He imagined what Sam’s musk would smell like mixed with a wood bearing scent. The pure thought had Castiel closing his eyes, dreaming of sitting next to him, curled in his arms.

The buzzard woke the boy from his thoughts. Time had run out and the Turner Pitbulls were off celebrating their victory across the court, chanting their song as they went. Cas panicked when he couldn’t find Sam among the hurdled crowed toward the exit. It felt like his chest was going to explode with the amount of anxiety that continued to build from within.

The majority of the team had flocked to the locker room, feeling victorious that they were able to catch up in the very least. And that’s when Castiel found him. Sam had jogged back to the bleachers to grab his towel and water bottle. The edges of Castiel’s lips curled upward as his heart felt like it sank back deep into his chest. It was then that the pair locked gazes once more. Staring like deer in headlights, they spoke through eye contact. Not much was said but then again, nothing really needed to.

 

Art by:[Renezinha](http://renezinha.deviantart.com/)

 

“Come on, Sammy! You ready?” A rough voice called out, taking Sam’s focus away from the blue-eyed boy in the stands.

“Yeah, just uh…” His mouth hung open, turning his head back to the curious stranger but he was already gone. “Yeah. One sec.” The sound in his voice fell as he noticed that the boy had left.


End file.
